


Spectral

by good_mythical_miles



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Gen, M/M, Paranormal, Soulmates, talk of a death, violent homophobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-19
Updated: 2015-10-19
Packaged: 2018-04-27 02:26:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5030101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/good_mythical_miles/pseuds/good_mythical_miles





	Spectral

Rhett McLaughlin was lying on his bed in his dorm room, staring at the ceiling. The North Carolina sun was just beginning to set, marking the end of NC State’s move-in day. He had already finished unpacking his things and decorating the little space he now called home. Rhett was just starting his sophomore year, and was lucky enough to get a room to himself. Freshman year, he shared a dorm with another boy. Chris was his name. They didn’t get along very well. Rhett was an introvert, and he needed space to himself, which is why he was willing to fork over the extra money for some real privacy.

Hearing his stomach growl and realizing how hungry he was, Rhett decided to join the crowd of students in the dining hall. This was nothing new to him—just an old routine. He got his dinner—a few pieces of pizza—and then headed to the bookstore to pick up his textbooks. He took his time, knowing he didn’t need to be anywhere for the rest of the night.

Slowly wandering throughout the college’s halls, he finally made it back to his room at 9:45 pm. He unlocked his door and opened it, but was frozen in shock by what he saw. A pencil slowly rolled off of his desk and onto the floor. It didn’t stop there, however. It continued halfway across the room until it finally stopped. Cautiously entering the room, Rhett picked up the pencil and placed it on his desk with his new books. He couldn’t think of a logical explanation for what he had just witnessed, but he was sure there had to be one. He was just too tired to think straight. He grabbed his toiletries and got ready for bed.

Later that same night, Rhett was startled awake from a deep slumber by a knocking on his door. He got out of bed and quickly threw it open. There was nobody there. He stepped out into the hall, looking both ways. He was greeted by emptiness. “Weird,” he whispered, closing his door and climbing back into bed.

He laid there in the darkness, unable to fall asleep again. He sighed deeply and rolled over so that he was facing the wall, his back to the rest of the room. He started to hear a rustling. He sat up and turned on a light. His engineering textbook had been opened. He hadn’t touched it since setting it on the desk. A chill ran down his spine. He wasn’t superstitious, but something felt off. Rhett took a deep breath and got out of bed. He put away his books on the bookshelf and grabbed a snack from his mini-fridge. Knowing he had to get up soon and start his day, he decided not to try to sleep again.

Rhett spent the next day exploring the campus with some friends and helping out a ton of confused freshman. He was out until dinner. He and his friends went into town, played some basketball, and stopped at McDonalds. Upon returning to campus, he immediately went back to his dorm. Just like the night before, his engineering textbook was open on his desk.

“What the fuck?” he muttered. He had locked the door when he left, and it was still locked when he returned. Nobody had been in his room. He knew that for a fact. After staring at the book for quite some time, he placed it back in place on his shelf.

Over the next few weeks, nothing out of the ordinary happened in Rhett’s dorm. Thanks to his classes starting, he had almost completely forgotten about the strange goings on that had happened in his room. One Sunday evening, Rhett was lying in bed reading. He left his door open due to the stuffiness, hoping to air it out. He was startled by a sudden presence in his room. A shorter, brunet boy with glasses was standing in front of him. His shaggy hair was disheveled and he looked tired, but there was a small smile on his face.

“Uh, hi…” Rhett mumbled, a bit confused as to why this kid was at his door so late.

“Hi, sorry. Did I scare you?”

“Nah. I just didn’t hear you coming, that’s all.” Usually, he would get a little ticked off at someone coming in without asking. But for whatever reason, he didn’t mind.

“Oh, good.”

Neither boy said anything for quite some time—there was undeniable tension in the air. “Uh, who… Who are you?” Rhett asked awkwardly.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m Link.”

“I’m Rhett.”

“Nice to meet you! I saw your engineering textbook and I wanted to ask if you would be interested in studying together?”

Rhett thought for a moment. He didn’t think he had ever seen this kid before, but he could’ve been mistaken. “Uh, sure. I guess so!” Rhett surprised himself with his cheery tone. “I’ll see you tomorrow, I guess…!”

“Yeah! Thanks so much, man. I’ve been really struggling. I want to be an engineering major, so I have to get the hang of this.”

“No problem!”

They said their goodbyes and Rhett buried his nose back into his book. He realized he should probably ask where Link’s dorm room was. However, when he looked up, his room was empty. Rhett walked into the hallway, but there was nobody there. Figuring his new friend was in a rush to get somewhere, Rhett went back to his book. He tried to keep reading, but his mind was racing. He had just met this Link kid, but…he felt connected to him somehow.

The whole next week, Rhett spent his days trying to find Link in his classes. He hadn’t told him which class they shared, so he was hunting all week long. He never showed up. Rhett figured maybe he had gotten sick.

A month went by without any incidents. Link came by to hang out a couple of times without warning. Like the night they met, he had just sort of appeared. Rhett questioned him as to why he was never in any of his classes.

“I had to drop the one I had with you,” he sighed. “I didn’t feel like I could bring my grade up enough to pass.” That explanation was good enough for Rhett.

The two became fast friends. For about a week, Link would come over to Rhett’s room where they’d hang out and chat. They’d talk about their classes, their favorite music, and their dreams for the future.

Without warning, Link stopped coming over. Rhett was a bit worried, but realized he had never even asked Link where his dorm was. He couldn’t go looking for him.

The mysterious knocking on his door started back up. He kept finding his engineering book open on his desk when he knew he had put it away. One morning, he awoke to see a piece of paper with Link’s name in the corner sitting on his desk. For whatever reason, he kept it. Drawers that had been closed were open when Rhett looked in their direction. Odd things of that nature kept happening with increasing frequency.

“I’m losing my mind.”

Sick of waiting for his friend to return, he walked up and down the hallway, asking people if they knew Link. Nobody did. He asked his professors after his classes if they knew his friend. Everyone shook their head.

Except one.

After his Intro to Civil Engineering class, he asked his professor if Link had been in the class. His professor, and older white man, raised his eyebrow. Rhett described his appearance, hoping he had finally found somebody who knew Link.

The professor sighed. “Link Neal was my student three years ago.”

Rhett was confused. “Three years ago? What are you talking about?”

“Link was one of my favorite students. He really struggled with his homework, but he worked hard. He was always trying to find people to study with.”

“What…happened?” Rhett asked. He had no idea what his professor was getting at.

“He died,” he said matter-of-factly. Rhett couldn’t say a word. He had no idea what to think. “He fell out of a window.”

“What!?”

“Yep. Tragic, really. I still haven’t quite recovered from it. Why are you asking about him?”

“I, uh… I…” How could Rhett explain this? “I just heard he was nice, and I wanted to know more about him,” he lied. “Thanks.”

Rhett left abruptly. He sat on a bench in a courtyard in utter shock. Link had died three years ago? But that would mean… Was he talking to a ghost? He needed more information.

On his way back to his dorm, he spotted a flyer announcing a get together for all engineering majors. Link had wanted to do that, so maybe somebody there knew him. Rhett knew he had to attend.

He rushed to make himself look presentable before heading out. He managed to find the room that the flyer specified, and entered. The room was full of upper classmen. He took a deep breath and approached the closest person.

“Hi, can I ask you something?” Rhett asked.

“Sure, what’s up kiddo?” the other student sneered, even though he had to look up to make eye contact with Rhett.

“Did you know a student named Link Neal?”

The man’s face dropped. He turned to someone in the corner and shouted, “Lars, this kid is asking about Link!”

Lars joined the conversation. “What do you want to know?” He looked sad.

Lars seemed nice. Rhett felt horrible for ruining the mood. “You knew him?”

“Yeah, we were roomies.”

“What building was your dorm in?”

Lars looked like he wanted to ask why Rhett wanted to know, but didn’t. “Building F. We were in room 36.”

That was right next to Rhett’s room… “So, he wanted to be an engineer?”

“I don’t know if he wanted to, but that’s what he was studying. I think he wanted to make movies. But he was determined to get good grades. He was always in the room next door with the guy there. They’d study together.”

“Was the room to the right or the left?”

“The right. Why are you asking?”

“Uh, no reason,” Rhett squeaked. “So, he fell out the window?”

Lars shook his head solemnly. “He got into an argument with the guy next door. I guess Link was trying to come on to him or something. I knew he was gay, and I was okay with it, but I guess his ‘study buddy’ wasn’t.”

“Are you saying…?”

“Yeah. Dude shoved Link out the window. Landed on the ground with all the glass… It was a mess. Horrifying.” Lars was staring into space, clearly reliving the moment he was describing. “I still have nightmares about it.”

“I… I’m sorry I brought it up…”

“It’s okay, bro.”

Rhett said goodbye and slowly wandered back to his dorm, deep in thought. Link died right next to where Rhett slept every night. When he entered his room, much to his surprise, Link was standing there, looking out the window. The window he’d fallen from.

“Uh, hey…” Rhett said, closing the door behind him.

“Rhett! Hi! Ready to study?” He sounded so cheerful… He must not have known he had died…

“Link, I… I’m not feeling up to that right now. I’m sorry.”

“Oh, it’s okay. I get it. I’ll just go.” He waved, still smiling, and walked out of the room. He didn’t open the door. He walked right through it.

Rhett felt dizzy. He was seriously talking to a ghost. He felt like he needed to tell somebody about what was happening, but he couldn’t. He didn’t want to risk anyone thinking he was crazy. That night, he cried himself to sleep while staring at the window.

Rhett couldn’t bring himself to go to class the next morning. He was still in too much shock. Lying in bed with his eyes closed, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“Hey!” he heard. “Wake up! Let’s study!”

“Link,” Rhett sighed, “please. Go away.”

Link’s shoulders dropped. “Did you hear?”

“Hear what?”

“That I… Fuck. I told Lars not to say anything…”

“What?”

“Rhett, I… I think you’re cute. I think you’re really cute.”

“Oh my god, Link.” Rhett couldn’t believe what he was hearing. This ghost… This kid who had been murdered in his dorm room now had a crush on him. He clearly didn’t know that he had died…

“I hope you don’t hate me…” Link’s voice betrayed the fact that he was about to start crying.

“I don’t hate you, Link. I think you’re cute, too.” Rhett was shocked by the words that came out of his own mouth. He’d never admitted to finding men attractive, but… Telling Link what he had… It felt natural. It felt right.

“R…Really?” Link flashed a half smile.

“But, Link. We can’t be together.”

“Why? Are you worried what our classmates will think?”

“No, Link.”

“I know we live in a shitty place to be gay, but—“

“Link, listen to me.”

“What?”

Rhett never thought he’d have to say what he was about to say. “Link, you’re dead!” The brunet stayed silent. “You walked right through my door last night! Did you not even see that!?”

“Stop trying to freak me out,” he whispered.

Rhett’s eyes widened. Link was starting to become translucent. “Look at yourself, Link!”

Link looked down. Rhett approached him, and reached his hand out. Link tried to hold onto it, but passed right through. Link broke down into tears. “What!? What happened!?” He was absolutely hysterical.

“Three years ago, Link, somebody found out you were gay. They pushed you out that window.”

“I’VE BEEN DEAD FOR THREE YEARS!?”

“Link, I—“

Link screamed, tears still streaming down his ghostly face, and the lightbulb in Rhett’s lamps burst.

He ducked his head. When he looked up, he was alone.

“What just happened?” he muttered to himself.

It was a struggle to go about his daily routine, but for the next few days, he managed. People kept asking him what was wrong, but he just shook his head in response.

One Friday night, he was trying to force himself to fall asleep. Through his closed eyelids, he could see a faint glow. He opened his eyes. The ghostly, glowing figure of Link was sitting at his desk, crying.

“Link,” Rhett whispered. “Link, please don’t cry.”

“I’m dead, Rhett. I’m dead. I have no future.” His voice sounded distant.

“Why are you still here, Link?”

“I think it’s because… I still needed to do something here.”

“What do you think that is?”

“I don’t know. But I do know that after meeting you, I felt… Peaceful.”

“Link, let go.”

“I don’t want to leave you.”

“Let go, Link. You shouldn’t be here. Your spirit needs to rest…or whatever.” Rhett thought how strange it was that these words were coming out of his mouth. He sounded like he was in a movie.

“One day,” Link whispered, sounding defeated, “I’ll see you again.”

Slowly, the figure standing before Rhett vanished. It took Rhett a moment to realize he wasn’t breathing. “He’ll see me again?” Rhett muttered. “What does he mean?”

After that morning, nothing strange happened in Rhett’s dorm. If it weren’t for the piece of paper with Link’s name written on it, he would’ve thought he had imagined the entire ordeal.

Years passed.

Rhett was leaving work at Black & Veatch, when he was stopped in the street by an odd looking older woman.

“Are you R… Rhett?” she asked.

“Uh, yes, ma’am. I am.”

“My name is Eliza. I’m a psychic medium. Is it true that you knew a boy named Link?”

Memories suddenly flooded the man’s brain. “Um… I…” Rhett couldn’t speak.

“I’m sensing you had contact with his spirit in this life.”

“This life?”

“When you said your goodbyes, Link told you he’d see you again, correct?”

Rhett nodded and made a small noise of confirmation.

“I’m here to tell you that you will see him again. You are soulmates. You’ve been together in past lives, and you’ll be together in future ones.”

“What?” Rhett could feel tears coming to his eyes. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“Your souls are meant to be together.”

“I… I…”

“I’m sorry if I made you late to any appointments, sir. It was nice to meet you. Thank you for letting me bring you this message.”

Rhett was staring straight ahead as the woman glided past him. His feet were cement in the bustling crowd of workers going home.

“Soul mates?” he asked himself aloud.

He didn’t think he believed in that, but…

It felt…

Right.

Rhett looked up to the sky and whispered, “I’ll see you later, Link.”


End file.
